Interview with Lauren Barnholdt
October, 2009
Lauren Barnholdt
SS: Who are your favorite authors?
LB: I have SO MANY -- J.D. Salinger, Meg Cabot, Sophie Kinsella, Sarah Mlynowski, E. Lockhart, Emily Giffin, Khaled Hosseini, Marian Keyes... I read a lot of YA, and I usually like my books to have at least a little bit of romance :)
SS: Is there a book you love to reread?
LB: Catcher In The Rye by J.D. Salinger
SS: Do you have one sentence of advice for new writers?
LB: Never ever, ever, give up -- no matter what.
SS: What comment do you hear most often from your readers?
LB: That they want me to make a movie of THE SECRET IDENTITY OF DEVON DELANEY, and that they should be able to play Devon! Unfortunately, authors don't have control over whether or not our books get made into movies. And obviously if this were to happen, you know I'd be the one to play Devon.
SS: What are your 5 favorite books of all time?
LB: I have like a thousand favorite books -- there's no way I could pick just five.
SS: What are your most overused words or phrases?
LB: "Whatever" and "Scandalous" -- after I turned in REALITY CHICK, my editor emailed me and was like, "You do realize you use the word 'scandalous' on pages 1, 5, 13, 17, 21, 22, 35..." I had to cut a lot of them.
SS: If you could acquire any talent, what would it be?
LB: Singing! Dancing! Acting! My secret dream is to play Elle in LEGALLY BLONDE THE MUSICAL, even though, you know, it closed and I can't sing even a little tiny bit.
SS: What is your favorite occupation, when you’re not writing?
LB: Reading
SS: If you could eat only one thing for the rest of your days, what would it be?
LB: Hmmm. I'm torn between cheeseburgers and ice cream. One summer I seriously ate ice cream almost every single day, and I never got sick of it, so I guess ice cream.
SS: Who is your favorite fictional hero?
LB: Holden Caulfield
SS: What’s your greatest fear?
LB: I'm scared of a lot of things -- the dark, food that's been left in the fridge too long, scary movies that involve serial killers...the list goes on.
SS: What’s your fantasy profession?
LB: Broadway star! Or American Idol winner.
SS: What is your motto or maxim?
LB: Hmmm...I don't really have one, but I am rather fond of "Carpe Diem." Oh! And when I was in high school, I had a bumper sticker that said "Honk If You Want Me!" But I'm pretty sure that doesn't count, especially since I only got honks when my sister was in the car.
SS: How would you describe your life in only 8 words?
LB: Write, Read, Tivo, Repeat...
Get more on Lauren Barnholdt at SimonandSchuster.com
Lauren Barnholdt
Questions About Books and Writing
SS: Who are your favorite authors?
LB: I have SO MANY -- J.D. Salinger, Meg Cabot, Sophie Kinsella, Sarah Mlynowski, E. Lockhart, Emily Giffin, Khaled Hosseini, Marian Keyes... I read a lot of YA, and I usually like my books to have at least a little bit of romance :)
SS: Is there a book you love to reread?
LB: Catcher In The Rye by J.D. Salinger
SS: Do you have one sentence of advice for new writers?
LB: Never ever, ever, give up -- no matter what.
SS: What comment do you hear most often from your readers?
LB: That they want me to make a movie of THE SECRET IDENTITY OF DEVON DELANEY, and that they should be able to play Devon! Unfortunately, authors don't have control over whether or not our books get made into movies. And obviously if this were to happen, you know I'd be the one to play Devon.
SS: What are your 5 favorite books of all time?
LB: I have like a thousand favorite books -- there's no way I could pick just five.
What Readers want to know...
SS: What are your most overused words or phrases?
LB: "Whatever" and "Scandalous" -- after I turned in REALITY CHICK, my editor emailed me and was like, "You do realize you use the word 'scandalous' on pages 1, 5, 13, 17, 21, 22, 35..." I had to cut a lot of them.
SS: If you could acquire any talent, what would it be?
LB: Singing! Dancing! Acting! My secret dream is to play Elle in LEGALLY BLONDE THE MUSICAL, even though, you know, it closed and I can't sing even a little tiny bit.
SS: What is your favorite occupation, when you’re not writing?
LB: Reading
SS: If you could eat only one thing for the rest of your days, what would it be?
LB: Hmmm. I'm torn between cheeseburgers and ice cream. One summer I seriously ate ice cream almost every single day, and I never got sick of it, so I guess ice cream.
SS: Who is your favorite fictional hero?
LB: Holden Caulfield
SS: What’s your greatest fear?
LB: I'm scared of a lot of things -- the dark, food that's been left in the fridge too long, scary movies that involve serial killers...the list goes on.
SS: What’s your fantasy profession?
LB: Broadway star! Or American Idol winner.
Quick Start
SS: What is your motto or maxim?
LB: Hmmm...I don't really have one, but I am rather fond of "Carpe Diem." Oh! And when I was in high school, I had a bumper sticker that said "Honk If You Want Me!" But I'm pretty sure that doesn't count, especially since I only got honks when my sister was in the car.
SS: How would you describe your life in only 8 words?
LB: Write, Read, Tivo, Repeat...
Get more on Lauren Barnholdt at SimonandSchuster.com
